FRAGMENTS: Scenes

THREE: Shoes

God, these heels are killing me, Dawn thought as she entered the bathroom and slumped on the toilet seat cover, pushing the door closed. Never mind that she loved the dress she was wearing that night. She just needed to take the damn shoes off. 

They had just come home from a party, one that she knew Richard enjoyed immensely, judging by how he wanted to dance all night. At this point of their relationship, she already knew that he didn't like staying in parties until they ended, so this one was quite a surprise. 

He kept on pulling her to the dance floor, and with that good mood, how could she refuse? Her acting chops did some good, for she was able to withhold her winces. 

He gave her the shoes two weeks ago, a gorgeous silver, crystal-studded pair of Christian Louboutin stilletos that he had one of his female friends purchase in the States. It was in her exact size, but she usually bought shoes -- especially high heels -- half or one size bigger to give her feet some space. 

~~~ 

She was taking her siesta when he gave her the shoes. He kissed her on the cheek and asked for a five-peso bill "kasi bibili ako ng candy". He came back a few minutes later, a lollipop in his mouth, a box at hand, pulling her up to sit. The label on the box jolted her awake.  

"A... A..." 

"You're welcome." 

"A... ano 'to?" 

"Open it!" 

It was the pair that gripped her heart. And it didn't help that it came from the man she was just head-over-heels in love with. 

He smiled and met her eyes, then wide with surprise. "Sabi nila, hingan daw muna kita ng barya para 'di mo ako apak-apakan. That doesn't matter much, though, because you have my heart. And you deserve the best." 

"H... hindi ko birthday." 

"Ikaw, you always look for an occasion to explain gifts." 

"This is --" 

"Nothing, compared to how happy you've made it." He kissed her softly. "Besides, it's been ten months since I first laid eyes on you." 

"You remember that?" 

He laughed. "Tita Midz had to remind me, out of the blue. Eh saktong dumating na sina Jenny from New York, with these shoes." 

She didn't know how she looked exactly, but as she would look back later that day, she must've looked stupid. It prompted him to ask if she was okay. She took the shoes, put it aside, and almost jumped on him, giving him the tightest embrace. 

"I love you," he whispered as he laughed at how happy she seemed. 

Touched by the gesture, she didn't have the heart to tell him the next day that it hurt to walk in that pair. And she wanted to keep it, if only for the memory. 

~~~ 

When she emerged from the bedroom all dolled up for the party, he looked first at her feet. 

"You're not wearing the heels," he said, matter-of-factly. 

"Parang hindi kasi bagay sa damit, babe," she lied, only to realize that it was a bit stupid since she was carrying a silver purse. 

"The shoes are silver. That should go well with black, right?" 

A nervous laugh. "Right. But won't we be late?" 

"We have all the time in the world," he answered, going back to the sofa, leaving her with no choice but to go ahead and wear the pair. 

And endure the pain through the night. 

So it was such a relief to be able to take the pair off her feet, which had acquired a couple of blisters and a cut. The damage wasn't much, just stung a bit. 

What stung more was the look on Richard's face when she looked up. She didn't realize that she left the door unlocked, and he was worried that she was in the bathroom for too long. 

"Is that because of the shoes?" he asked, kneeling down to inspect her feet. His eyebrows were scrunched and she felt so bad for ruining his mood that she wasn't able to answer. "Dawn." 

"Y...yeah?" 

"Why didn't you tell me that the heels didn't fit?" 

"Nahihiya ako eh. Ang ganda, and expensive for sure. Saka 'di naman madaling isauli 'yan kaya --" 

"Kaya you let yourself get hurt?" He let go of her foot carefully and stood up to get the first aid kit. "Love, kapag ganiyan, magsasabi ka. About anything." He was down on his knees again, cleaning the small wound with Betadine. "Hindi ako marunong manghula so unless you tell me..." 

"I know." 

He smiled, kissed her cheek. "Tulungan na kita out of that dress." 

"I can --" Standing up hurt and she winced, holding on to his arm tightly. He pulled her to him, his hands reaching on her back and pulling the zipper down. He helped her sit back down so he could get her a nightgown from the closet. 

They were quiet as he helped her get dressed, his eyes fixed on hers as if to say, Don't worry, I won't take advantage of you. It warmed her heart, really, and it felt as if the pain was fading away. 

And, in his final show of chivalry that night, as she was about to walk out with him, she felt his arms behind her and he swept her up. "Hold on," he said, smiling, as he bounced her up a bit, making her giggle. 

He laid her down the bed and stroked her hair. "Go to sleep," he whispered as he planted a kiss on her nose. "I love you." 

She just couldn't wipe the smile off her face as he disappeared inside the bathroom to tidy up. #